Haley responds to Sheheen’s candidacy, “lies”

Columbia, SC – With South Carolina State Senator Vincent Sheheen (D-Camden) announcing to supporters on Wednesday that he intends to make another run for governor, incumbent Governor Nikki Haley wasted no time switching into attack mode.

Get ready for Sheheen/Haley 2: Electric Boogaloo

“I appreciate Sen. Sheheen’s interest in trying again, but the way he’s launched his campaign is despicable,” said Haley, speaking with reporters on Wednesday. “The very first line of his email is a blatant lie and he knows it. He said ‘South Carolina is the greatest state in the union, with unlimited potential.’”

“I love South Carolina,” continued Haley, “but the numbers don’t lie, we are clearly not the greatest state in the union. We’re near the bottom in employment, education, crime rates, data theft etc., and I should know, I’m the governor, and my job is to make those numbers improve, and I’m pretty sure if we’d made any real progress, somebody would have told me about it.”

Haley stated that she has not formally decided whether she will be seeking a second term, but indicated that she would have no problem being reelected.

“South Carolina’s choice for governor in 2010 was loud and clear and I have no reason to believe they’ve changed their minds. The people weren’t looking for something different, they wanted more of the same GOP leadership that has served the state so well for so long. And that’s exactly what we’ve brought them. I expect to be reelected in a landslide because a vote for me is a vote for more of the same.”

Haley closed her statement with a note to people who may be tempted to vote for someone else.

“I understand that some of you are not happy with the direction our state is taking, and I sympathize. Even I have doubts from time to time, but I’ve found that by repeating the phrase ‘It’s a great day in South Carolina’ continuously, eventually you begin to believe it.